An initiative has been taken by the government on Monday which is going to be very effective for those people. Instructions have been issued by the Central Government to link the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) to the National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Heart diseases and cardiac arrest.

NAFLD means liver disease in which fat starts accumulating in this part of the body due to lack of fatty liver. The causes of NAFLD fatty liver are fat accumulation in the liver even after consumption of alcohol, viral hepatitis or no use of medicines.

94 million people succumbed to the disease

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that abnormal accumulation of fat is a matter of serious concern as it also gives rise to many other liver diseases like more than normal non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL, common fatty liver disease). Severe non-alcoholic stato-hepatitis (NASH), psorosis, and even liver cancer.

He told that during the last two decades the burden of NASH on the world has doubled. In the year 1990, there were 40 lakh cases of cirrhosis in NASH worldwide which increased to 94 lakhs in 2017. NAFLD is emerging as the leading cause of liver diseases in India.

9 to 32 percent people are victims

He said that the importance of dealing with NAFLD is necessary to be taken forward as a step to deal with the burden on the country in case of non-infectious diseases. The Union Minister informed that 9 to 32 percent of the general population in India is suffering from NAFLD. This is more in such people who are obese or whose weight has increased significantly.

People who have diabetes or have pre-diabetes condition. Researchers have also found NAFLD of 40 to 80 percent among people suffering from type-2 diabetes and 30 to 90 percent among obese people.

Acceleration in heart related diseases

Studies also say that people with NAFLD are more prone to heart-related diseases. Death is the most common cause of heart diseases in NAFLD. Once the disease is aggravated, then no treatment is available.

The Union Health Minister said that prevention and prevention are the only options to prevent obesity and reduce the number of deaths due to NAFLD, adopt obesity or lose weight, adopt a healthy lifestyle and control the risks of the disease.

He gave detailed information about the government's plan to control deaths due to NCDs associated with the situation.

How can rescue

He said that NAFLD itself is about to tell about the metabolic symptoms like heart diseases, type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, body intolerance to glucose.

The Government of India believes that by combining lifestyle changes, early diagnosis and NAFLD, the strategies of the NPCDS program can be prevented from NAFLD after managing infectious diseases.

Accordingly, steps can be taken which have focused on prevention and general NCDs. This will help in underlining NAFLD.

India became number one in this case

Union Health Minister Harshvardhan said that India is the first country in the world where the need for action for NAFLD can be identified. He said that the Indian government has realized that the current program strategies of NCDs can be combined with them to achieve the objective of rescue and control of NAFLD. He elaborated on the importance of Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centers (AB-HWC) in controlling NCDs.

Ayushman facility in India

The Ayushman Bharat program has screened 8.38 crore people for high blood pressure, diabetes of 6.83 crore and 8.06 crore people for the three most common cancers through HWC. 6.91 lakh yoga and health sessions have been organized at the community level.

Apart from treating the poorest of the poor, the community also has the responsibility to develop a healthy lifestyle at the grassroots level. With a focus on 'Eat Right India' and 'Fit India Movement', the entire thinking of the government is towards prevention of disease and prevention of health from diagnosis focused treatment.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan reminded how, while working as a young doctor, he advised patients to avoid tobacco and alcohol consumption instead of prescribing medicines. During the one-year tenure as the president of the Delhi Medical Association, he made the association a 'smoking free zone'.

Government's appeal to media

To broaden the movement, he said that journalists with health coverage and media in general have an important role in awareness and dissemination of information regarding NCDs and how healthy lifestyle can be helpful in preventing NCDs.

He appealed everyone to raise health awareness and adopt an active lifestyle. The Union Health Minister has also assured the Medical World of full cooperation on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for any efforts in this direction.